God's Everlasting Love

Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Isaiah 54:1-8 NIV 

1 "Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD. 2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. 3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. 4 "Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. 5 For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. 6 The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit-- a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God. 7 "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. 8 In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the LORD your Redeemer.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What does the Lord tell the "barren" and those who were "never in labor to do"? Why? (v.1)
2) What else does the Lord tell His formerly forsaken people to do? Why? (v.2-3)
3) What does the Lord tell His peoople to refrain from doing? Why? (v.4-6)
4) How had the Lord formerly treated His wayward children and how would He treat them after they had been punished? (v.7-8)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
5) Have you ever felt forsaken of (distant from) the Lord? If so, what if anything did you do to restore right relations with Him?

LIFE LESSONS
6) Many of the Lord's children have, and will, feel that the Lord is distant from us during certain seasons of our lives. 
7) Often, the Lord distances Himself from us when we have unconfessed and/or unrepented sin in our lives.
8) There are times when the Lord distances Himself from us to create a greater longing for His presence within our souls.
9) The Lord loves us and desires to be gracious to us, but unconfessed sin and/or lack of desire for His presence will hinder (disrupt) His presence in our lives.